HISD's library shelves are lacking, report finds

Report says collections are too small or old, and many schools have none at all

By Jennifer Radcliffe |
November 25, 2007

Harvard Elementary student Amanda Feldman, 8, enjoys the resources at one of HISD's highest-rated libraries. The library just underwent a $150,000 makeover; it now has more than 13,000 books.

Seventy percent of the Houston Independent School District's libraries have collections that are so small or so old, the state considers them below standard.

And HISD isn't the only local district struggling to meet state guidelines. Others, including fast-growing Cypress-Fairbanks, also are missing the mark, sometimes because they can't stock their shelves fast enough to keep up with the influx of students.

While HISD has made significant improvements in the past decade, its library collections still are an average of 14 years old, with 17 items per student, according to a report compiling data for 232 of the district's almost 300 campuses.

Thirty-four more schools have no libraries and at least 18 others, including Holland and Ryan middle schools, didn't provide data, according to the report.

And the district employs only 163 certified librarians, leaving other facilities in the hands of teachers, clerks, or, in several cases, unstaffed, officials said.

"It hurts my heart to see the condition some of these facilities are in," said Hosea Jackson, whose two children attend Lockhart Elementary, where the library has a 19-year-old, 5,028-item collection.

The age of a collection is determined by the average copyright date of its items. State guidelines describe an "acceptable" library as one with a collection less than 15 years old and with at least 9,000 items — 16 per elementary student, 14 per middle school student and 12 per high school student.

About 60 percent of the collections in Cy-Fair schools are below standard on age or size, averaging 13 years old and providing nearly 15 items per student.

But Assistant Superintendent Kelli Durham said the numbers don't do justice to challenges Cy-Fair faces and to the array of resources to which students have access. Subscriptions to online services allow access to movies, periodicals and books from home, she said.

"Many of our library resources are available 24/7, digital and accessible from locations other than the walls of the school library," Durham said. "Students are increasingly likely to read and do research in an easily accessible environment that provides information quickly, digitally and on demand."

Funding shortages

Nearby Spring Branch averages more than 30 items per student, but has a collection with an average age of 18. While no libraries in that district fall short on size, more than 70 percent miss the mark on age.

Funding shortages make it difficult to earmark enough each year for new materials, said Barry Bishop, director of library information services in the Spring Branch district.

While the standards are challenging, schools still should strive for the exemplary level, said Bishop, a former president of the Texas Library Association who helped write the standards.

"The research shows (that) when you have a good library program, all the student achievement goes up," he said.

But he added that a collection's age is as important as the size and that it must be stocked with high-quality materials that hold students' interest.

And while online resources are increasingly important, they don't negate the quotas for books, CDs and DVDs, he said.

Bishop applauded the progress the Houston district has made in the past 10 years. HISD hired a certified librarian to manage operations, automated collections and implemented a cutting-edge method for tracking students' reading levels.

"They are in dire straits, but they're so much better off than they were," Bishop said.

Big differences

Because HISD lets each campus allocate its money, library conditions vary widely across the district. Madison High School, for example, has about four books per student, while River Oaks Elementary has 50, according to HISD data from late October.

And while Dogan Elementary's collection is just three years old, Worthing High's is 36.

"We have one extreme to the other," said Karen Soehnge, HISD's chief academic officer. "That is something we do want to improve as a whole."

The Houston district has commissioned an audit to pinpoint weaknesses and guide the creation of standards for campus libraries. Officials are expected in early 2008 to unveil a plan seeking additional district funding for libraries.

But the upgrades won't come in time for Yates High senior Jonathan Howard, who was so disappointed in the libraries at his middle school, Ryan, and at Yates that he has collected about 350 donated books to add to the collections.

"I've been to a lot of schools in other districts. I saw the difference. I think we're missing out," said Howard, 17. "Whoever has the better resources is going to have the advantage."

Some HISD principals have relied on outside help to bring their libraries up to par. A $150,000 donation to Harvard Elementary put that collection's size and age into the exemplary category almost overnight, allowing the school to buy 7,000 books and shaving four years off the collection's age.

Other needs

The campus already had plans to upgrade the library, Principal Kevin Beringer said. But that would have taken at least three more years without the donation, he said.

Sunnyside resident Alice Pradia, a former teacher who closely tracks the status of HISD's libraries, said parents and donors shouldn't be the ones footing the bill for books while HISD spends tens of thousands of dollars on bonuses to administrators and principals.

"The schools have the money to buy the books. We just have to see that they use the money," she said.

School board member Dianne Johnson said the district trusts each campus to make decisions that are best for its students.

Campuses may have opted to spend their money on computers so that low-income students can learn to use technology that is not available at home, she said.

Or they may be spending the money on reading specialists or after-school tutoring.

"What you're looking at is finite resources and infinite needs," Johnson said. "We can absolutely legislate or demand that they spend more money on books; I think everybody wants stronger libraries. The question is, what they'll give up in order to have more books."